Situation In Lebanon Deteriorates

Although the latest update on From Beirut to the Beltway indicates that Hezbollah called off their "intifada" for today at least, three people have died and outright rioting in the streets has become the norm. Hezbollah is, indeed, trying a coup. The Lebanese Army appears powerless and members of the majority government are openly calling for their backers to be ready to take back Beirut if needed.

Hezbollah appears to be ready to start the civil war all over again.

Update 5.   The riots have degenerated into street warfare between Sunnis, Shias and Sunnis.  Two have been killed and 50 wounded so far, according to Naharnet.

PM Siniora held a press conference and demanded an extraordinary parliament session to deal with the escalating situation.

Saniora said the general strike called by the opposition has developed into "provocations that went beyond all limits." "Blocking roads…is an aggression on the people and their freedoms. It is an attack on social order and it involves risks that are hidden to nobody." 

Naharnet has a good roundup here. With the army reluctant to clear the roadblocks in some areas, some residents have decided to take matters into their own hands.

Update 6. March 14 is calling on people to take to the streets to confront the rioters and clear the roadblocks themselves if the Lebanese army doesn't carry out its duty. Beirut residents are boiling with anger, and there are rumors of taking up arms against the "Hizbullah occupiers".

Update 7. From Naharnet:

The opposition on Tuesday called off its violent one-day protest that claimed at least three lives and wounded 62 people as the pro-government majority urged its followers to be on stand-by to “break the siege of Beirut” if the army does not carry out the mission.   

I say break that damn siege now, and start with downtown Beirut. This should not have been allowed to happen.

Iran and their puppets Assad and Nasrallah are pushing hard to topple the government and destabilize the entire region. People in this country need to start paying attention to where this is going and who is behind it. The US policy in the region does not exist in a vacuum.

Iran and their puppets Assad and Nasrallah are pushing hard to topple the government and destabilize the entire region. People in this country need to start paying attention to where this is going and who is behind it. The US policy in the region does not exist in a vacuum.

UPDATE: Others (I tried to link a lot of less frequently linked blogs here, I'd urge you to check these out, there is some really good stuff here): Blacksmiths of Lebanon, Gateway Pundit, Snapped Shot, Publius Pundit, Blogs of War, Pajamas Media, A Blog For All, Jeha's Nail, Exit Zero, Power and Control, Classical Values, Dawnsblood's, Backspin, Small Dead Animals, Jay Reding,